parc güell in barcelona draws an eclectic mix of dreamy-eyed gaudi fans, pachouli-scented nomads, family troupes, aspiring musicians and artists, gaggles of students and annoyed locals. there are caverns where you can stumble across a string quartet or funk band playing an impromptu set, a vast terrace where you can spend hours people watching or admiring the gaudi mosaics, and a miradorat the highest point of the park, where this picture was taken, where you can get a panorama of the city.

the first time i went up to the top, there was a group of about a dozen french students carfeully dishevelled and casually draped on the rocks around the cross. the pack leader was strumming bob marley songs on his guitar and they all steadily broke into a chorus of ‘no woman no cry’. minutes later, dusk washed over the city in a soft pink glow from the sea to the sagrada familia.